Vacuum well bucket



Patented Feb. 10, i953 UNITED STATES TENT orricr.

3 Claims.

The present invention pertains -to an earth boring device and in particular to well buckets or bailers in which debris materials are removed from the bottom of the well by creating a reduced pressure or partial vacuum in the chamber adapted to hold the materials.

A principal object of the invention therefore is to provide an earth, sand and debris bailer having an open bottom, tubular, receiving chamber adapted in operation to be lowered or dropped forcibly against the material in the bottom of the well through reciprocating movement of a weighted plunger or hammer and thus driven into the material to be removed.

Another important object of the invention is to provide valve means which will open in response to the downward movement of the plunger or hammer so that air and water may escape from the top of the receiving chamber as the lower portion thereof is driven into the debris material.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the valve will be in the closed position completely sealing the low pressure inside the top of the receiving chamber from surrounding atmospheric pressures when the loaded bailer is being pulled from the well.

A still further object of the invention is to provide ready access to the otherwise protected valve means so that when it is desired to equalize the pressure in the receiving chamber with the atmospheric pressure the valve may be manually opened and the debris released.

` Another and more specic object of the invention is to utilize the plunger or hammer -as a means to drive the bailer out ofthe material if the device should become stuck in the well bottom as when working in sticky materials.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation showing the bailer device in the process of being lowered into a well;

Fig. 2 is a fragmental sectional view through the bailer and showing the weighted plunger or hammer as it approaches the position whereby the valve will be unseated;

Fig. 3 is a vertical elevation partly in section illustrating the well bailer with the plunger or hammer removed and showing further details of the valve means and the upper and lower cham bers; A, Fig. 4 is a detailed view of the valve shown in- Figs. 2 and 3; i Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing details of. the valve actuating end of the weighted plunger or hammer;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the lower end of the plunger; and v Fig. 7 is a bottom plan View thereof. f Referring to the drawings in detail wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, thenumeral I0 generally indicates one type of the improved well bailer which is adapted tobe lowered into a well W by means of a cable C. As illustrated in Fig. 1 the bailerincludes broadly a hollow elongated cylinder I2, a weighted plunger. or hammer I4 slidably secured to the upper portion of the cylinder I2 and a cable C attached at I6 to the top of the plunger I4. Y Referring now to Fig. 3, it can be seen that the cylinder I2 is provided with a transverse partition I8 which divides the cylinder into two chambers, a lower, open ended debris receiving chamber 20 and an open ended upper chamber 22. The lower debris receiving chamber 28 is formed with a sharp cutting edge 23 enabling it to bev more easily driven into the debris material which is desired to be removed from the well. YTheupper chamber 22 telescopically receives thef plunger I4 and its cylindrical wall islformedwith two elongated slots 24 extending from a point even with or just above the partitions i8 tof a point 25 near the top of the chamber.

The upper chamber 22 also houses a valve `V which includes a curved flexible leaf 32 having the upper end secured to the casing I2 by meansV of rivets 34. As shown in detail in Fig. 4 the lower end of the spring nger 32 is provided with a sealing pad or tip 36 preferably of soft rubber and adapted to seat on one end of a' hollow tube 38. The spring nger 32 is Anormally biased in the closed position shown. The tube 38 is L shaped, with the horizontal leg engaging the pad 36 and the vertical leg extending through and secured in the partition I8 as illustrated.

Referring in particular to Fig. 2 and to the details of Figs. 5, 6 and 7, it can be seen that the plunger or hammer I4 is of a diameter to loosely slide in chamber 22 and has two laterally V.extending lugs 26 secured to its lower end. The lugs 26v are complemental to and are adapted to be' slidably received in the slots 24 of the chamber walls. lIn addition, the plunger I4 is provided with a longitudinal groove 28 wider than spring 32 and decreasing in depth from the plunger bottom upwardly for a distance at least equal to the length of spring 32. The bottom wall of the groove constitutes a cam surface as will appear. The lower end of the groove merges with a shallow central recess 30, the purposes of which will be readily apparent as further details of the device are explained.

By referring again to Fig. 2 it will be apparent that when 'the plunger or hammer I4 is dropped towards its lowermost position in chamber 22 the lip 35 of the inclined groove 28 will contact the inner surface of the spring 32 and move. thel soft rubber tip 36 away from the end of the tube 33. The portion of the tube 38 in chamber 22 will be received in the plunger recess 3 and lnot be damaged. In order that the contacting surfaces oi lip 35 and the bottom wall of inclined groove 28 will slide easily on the top surface of the spring32, the latter is preferably constructed so as to have a smooth arcuate shape. With the plungerr I4`in its lowered position the top of the lower receiving chamber 2B will thus be in open communication through tube 33 and the loose t of plunger I4 in chamber 22 with the surrounding atmosphere.

However; when Athe plunger is lifted up, releasing the biased spring iinger 32, the rubber end 36 of the valve-willseat'and close the port end ofthe tube 3B.

In the operation of the device, the bailer Ill is lowered or Adropped into the well W until the cutting edge 23 is in contact with the well bottom. The plunger or hammer I4 is now reciprocated at a fairly fast rate. The lugs 26 will slide in the slots-24 and upon each downward movement of the plungerY I4 the surface of the` lip 35 and inclined cam groove 28 of the weighted hammer end will open the spring valve 32 while the -contacting of the plunger with the partition and the lugs with the slot bottoms will drive the cutting edge 23 of the debris `receiving chamber 20 further into the debris material. As the debris moves up into the receiving chamber 2t water and air will escape through the tube 38, upper Vchamber 22 land slots 24.

When the chamber 20 is iilled with the material theplunger I4 'is pulled up until the lugs 26 contact the upper end 25 of the slots 24. Further upward pull on the cable C then acts to draw the bailer I from the well W. The material in chamber will tend to move downward. as thel device is raised. However, inasmuch 'as the valve V is closedsealing the top` of the chamber 20 from the surrounding atmosphere, the downward movement of the material acts to create a reduced pressure in the top of the chamber and the surrounding atmospheric pressure will now aid in holding the material in the chamber.

If for any reason the bailer should become stuck inthe material at the bottom of the well the plunger or. hammer I 4 may be lowered slightlyrand then jerked upward. The lugs 28'V will .strike against the tops of the grooves 24 rubber end 36 will then move away from the pipe 33 thereby relieving the reduced pressure area in the top of the chamber 20 and allowing the debris material to fall out.

Another method is to allow the sharp end 23 of the lower receiving chamber 20 to rest on the ground or spot where the material is to be deposited. The plunger I4 is then lowered to open the valve V whereby the pressure is relieved in the chamber 20. With the `plunger in this position the bailer is raised and the debris material will be deposited on the designated spot.

While the bailer has been shown and described in connection with a cement encased type of open well, it is adapted to be used with almost any type of well such as the small drilled type and with either open or closed wells. The bailer may also prove useful in obtaining earth specimens from a well while the well is being drilled or dug.

From the foregoing Vit is believed that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art,\and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departingA from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. A well bailer comprising in combination,

an open ended tubular member having a lower material receiving chamber, an upper chamber4 and an air tight partition-wall separating the two chambers one from the other, a weighted plunger mounted in said upper chamber, means on said plunger, and coacting means on said tubular member providing for a limited reciprocation of the plunger in the upper chamber, means at the upper end of said plunger for connecting Vthe bailer to a suspension device, a port through said wall providing open communication between said chambers, a valve, resilient means normally biasing said valve to close said port, said valve being closed when the plunger is at its upper limit of movement, and an actuating surface on said plunger to positively engage and open said valve against said bias upon the latter part of the movement of said plunger toward said partition.

2. A well bailer comprising an 'elongated hollow cylinder open. at both ends, a transverse partition member intermediate said ends separating said cylinder into an upper chamber and a lower material receiving chamber, the Wall of said upper chamber having a longitudinal slot intermediate said partition and the upper end, a passage through said partition connecting said chambers and including an angled tube in the upper chamber, an elongated plunger slidably receive-d in said upper chamber, a lug on said plunger slidably received in said slot to` limit` reciprocation of the plunger in the upper chamber, means connected with said plunger to raise and lower said well bailer Yand to reciprocate said plunger within said limits in said upper chamber, a fiat spring secured to the wall of the cylinder and having a valve disc thereon, said spring `biasing said disc to close the tube end, the lower end of the plunger being cut away to clear the valve pad and tube and having a wall shaped to gradually engage said spring to open the valve as the plunger approaches the bottom 0f the upper chamber.

3. A well bailer comprising an integral hollow tubular body open at both ends, an air tightI partition secured in said hollow body separating it into an upper chamber and a lower receiving chamber, the walls of said upper chamber having parallel longitudinal slots extending from the partition to near the open upper end, a heavy plunger loosely received in said upper chamber, lugs on said plunger near the bottom thereof eX- tending into the said slots to limit relative movement of body and plunger, cable means secured to the upper end of said plunger to support the bailer and to reciprocate said plunger when the lower edge of the body rests on the bottom of a well, an air passage connecting the said chambers, a spring pressed valve normally closing said passage, and cam surface means on said plunger REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 212,218 Haas Feb. 11, 1879 702,436 Johnston June 17, 1902 1,661,060 Uhl Feb. 28, 1928 

